Cotton-picker.



'No."'7,32,'681. I PATENTED JUNE 30,1903; H. WISWALL', JR. comm: PICKER.

APPLIOATION I'ILED.APR. 1a, 1903. r0 MODEL. Nb

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

- By a w I A TTOHNEYS.

cums PETERS co. Pno To-umoq WASHINGTON, 0, c4

No. 732,681. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903.

-H. WISWALL JR. COTTON PIUKER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 18, 1903.

4-SHEETS-SHBET2.

no MODEL.

WITNESSES: INVENTOH W A fro/m5 rs.

nouns mans co, Pnoraumaiwumuomu. 0. c4

No. 732,681. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1903. H. WISWALL, JR, COTTON PIGKER.

APPLIOATIOfi FILED APR. 16, 1905. N0 MODEL. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES: //v VENTOI? A 770/?NE rs.

Yu: uomus PEITRS co. rno'mumo WASHINGTON, u. I;

' ickin devices started in motion.

UNITED STATES Patented June 30, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

COTTON-PICKER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 732,681, dated June 30,1903. Application filed April 16, 1903. Serial No. 152,938.- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HOWARD WISWALL, Jr.

of Washington, in the county of Beaufort and. State of North Carolina,haveinventeda new and useful Improvement in OottonPickers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an imdrawings and then pointed out inthe claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is aside elevation; Fig. 2, a plan view; Fig.3, a rear end elevation, partly broken away. Fig. 4 is an enlarged sideView of my improved pickingnozzle, and Fig.5 is an end view of the samelooking in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 4.

The machine is provided with its own motor mechanism for both propellingit across the field and for running its working parts and is guided bymeans of a man at the steering-wheel after the manner of motor-vehicles.The machine is built as narrow as practicable, so as to run between rowsof cotton. It is designed 'to be stopped in the cotton-field, thegearing changed, and the suction-fan and It is provided with twoflexible suction-tubes terminating in picking-nozzles, one on each side,

and a man is to hold each picking-nozzle and apply it in his discretionto such of the open cotton-bolls as are ready for picking. When all thecotton in reach is picked, the machine is moved forward to a newposition and the picking resumed.

G is a suitable prime motor, preferably a gasolene-engine, mounted upona platform on wheels. Said engine has its pulley on one side connectedby a belt J to a pulley J on a cross-shaft J The shaft J 2 has at eachend rigidly-attached sprocket-wheels J J which through chain belts J4 Jconnect with large'sprocket-wheels J 5 J connected rigidly to the rearrunning-wheels or their rigidlyattached axle. The pulley J is loose onthe shaft J but is capable of being locked rigidly thereto by a clutch Joperated by an upright lever L. When this clutch is engaged, the powerof the motor is transmitted to the cross-shaft and sprocket-gears topropel the machine across the field, and when the clutch is disengagedthe pulley J runs loose on the shaft.

On the rear part of the platform there is an upright fan-casing A,having within it a suction-fan A. On the shaft of this fan (see Fig. 2)are a loose pulley N and a fixed pulley 0, from which there extends abelt M to a loose pulley N and a fixed pulley O on the shaft of themotor- A belt-shifter P embraces the belt and is operated by an uprightlever P. Then the belt M is on the two loose pulleys N and N, the fan isnot driven,

but when the belt is shifted to the two fixed pulleys O and O the fan isdriven. On the fan-shaft there is also a small pulley 0 Figs. 2 and 3,connected by a belt 0 with a small pulley O on the flexible rotatingshaft X, extending in bearings along the flexible tube H to the nozzlesF, so that this flexible shaft is driven at the same time the fan is.The centralopening in the fan-case communicates through-a trunk T with ahorizontal pipe T, which at each end communicates with the flexiblehollow tubes H H to produce a suction of air through the same.Dow'nwardlydipping pipes P P extend from the elevated they discharge thecotton into a bag, basket,

or other receptacle hung upon the hooks t t.

Valves V V are arranged in the pipe T and other valves V V are arrangedin the downpipes P P The discharge from the fanchamber is through anupwardlyopening stack Y. To prevent the cotton from passing into thefan-chamber, wire screens S S are placed at the upper ends of thedown-pipes P, so as to let the air go through them tothe fan, Whiledeflecting thecotton downthrough pipes P The flexible suction-tubes Hand flexible rotating shafts X extend a suitable distance on each sideto be manipulated, each bya man, and be applied to the cotton-plants,and these tubes and shafts terminate in the picker-nozzles. (Best shownin Figs. 4 and 5.) The flexible tube I-I connects with a hollow casingK, which opens at its end through a wire screen E, Fig. 5, and theflexible driving-shaft X connects with the axis 0, Fig. 4, of a seriesof picker-saws C, set in a parallel series on a suitable hub. The axialshaft C is carried in suitable bearings and extends through a head ofthe casing to an outside position, where it couples onto thedrivingshaft X, but the saws extend on one side into the interior of thecasing through its side. One side of these saws, however, is exposed, soas to be brought into gathering contact with the cotton-bolls by alateral motion of the picker-nozzles, the plane of the saws being atright angles to the nozzle. As

the teeth seize the cotton it is brushed off by a;

rapidly-revolving brush B, arranged in bearings in the casing upon anaxis parallel to that of the saw and extending into range of contactwith the saws and projecting also into the cylindrical part of thenozzle-casing, so as to dislodge the cotton from the saws and throw itinto range of the incoming draft of air passing in through the screenedopen end of the nozzle, which carries it up through the tubes II anddelivers it into pipes I and the receptacle provided to receive it. Thebrush is housed within an enlargement K of the nozzle-casing and isdriven by a small gearwheel D at the end meshing with a large gear D onthe saw-shaft.

When the machine is not in action or is being transported, the nozzlesand tubes H are hung upon suitable supports Z, as seen in Figs. 1, 2,and 3.

I am aware that a cotton-picker provided with a pneumatic suction-nozzleopen at the end for the intake of the cotton and having toothed pickersand a brush is not broadly new. My nozzle, it will be seen, is arrangedto pick on the side which gives'a very extended picking-space and has anopen end with wire screen, which does not receive cotton, but allowsmuch of the draft to enter at the end of the nozzle, so as to make aforcible current past the saws, which current whisks the cotton takenlaterally by the saws up the tube, and by making a less active currentthrough the cotton itself as it enters the saws avoids drawing in twigsand large impurities into the cotton. As nothing is drawn in except thecotton which touches the saws it will be seen that an expert workmanwill be able to pick the cotton with my picker with only aninfinitesimal amount of trash, which is a consideration of greatimportance as afiecting the value and quality of the cotton.

In practice I prefer saw-shaped pickerteeth; but I would have itunderstood that I mayI employ any other form of rotating pickerteet 1.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. Apneumatic cotton-picker, consisting of a nozzle having an open andscreened end, a series of rotating picker-teeth arranged in exposedrelation along the side of the nozzle upon an axis parallel with thenozzle, and a revolving brush arranged on an axis parallel with that ofthe rotating picker-teeth and adapted to dislodge the cotton from saidteeth and throw it into the incoming draft of air entering through theopen end of the nozzle substantially as described.

2. A pneumatic cotton-picker consisting of a nozzle having an open andscreened end, a series of rotating picker-teeth arranged in exposedrelation along the side of the nozzle upon an axis parallel with thenozzle, a revolving brush arranged on an axis parallel with that of therotating picker-teeth and intermeshing gear-wheels arranged at rightangles to the nozzle on the respective shafts of the brush and rotatingpicker-teeth substantially as and for the purpose described.

A pneumatic cotton-picker consisting of a flexible suction-tube, aflexible drive-shaft arranged in bearings externally to saidsuction-tube, a picker-nozzle having a casing made larger than thehollow tube, rotating picker-teeth arranged on an axis parallel to thenozzle and extending out through the enlarged casing and connectingexternally with the flexible drive-shaft, a rotating brush ar rangedparallel to the nozzle and gears conmeeting the shafts of the brush andpickerteeth substantially as described.

4. A pneumatic cotton-picker consisting of a flexible suction-tube aflexible drive-shaft, a picker-nozzle connected to said tube and havinga casing with an open end, a laterallyexposed series of saw-teetharranged on an axis parallel to the nozzle, and a rotating brusharranged within the nozzle-casing to strip the saws and discharge thecotton laterally into the nozzle substantially as 'described.

5. A pneumatic cotton-picker comprising two suction-tubes withpicker-nozzles, a suction-fan with casing inclosing the same,driving'mechanism for the same, an elevated and transversely-arrangedtrunk or tube communicating at opposite ends with the two suction-tubesand with the suction-chamber of the fan in the middle, screens in theelevated horizontal pipe, and down dipping pipes communicating with theelevated horizontal pipe between the screens and the suctiontubessubstantially as and for the purpose described.

6. In a cotton-picker, the combination with a wheeled platform, of anengine mounted on the forward part of the same, a transverse shaft withsprocket-wheels on its ends, chain belts connecting therewith, and largesprocket-wheels embraced and driven by said chains and rigidly connectedto the rear run- 7 ing a pulley embraced and driven by said belt, twosuctiontubes with nozzles, and picking devices in the nozzles connectedto and driven by the flexible shaft substantially as described.

HOWARD WISWALL, JR.

Witnesses:

WILEY O. RODMAN, D. WILLIAMSON.

